A Question of Reality
by TheCosplayingWriter
Summary: Sahara has heard a lot of good things about cosplaying. What she doesn't know is that she has the power to be transported to the fictional world of the character she is dressed up as. So when she decides to dress as her interpretation of the God of Mischief, she is shocked to see the golden world of Asgard appear before her eyes. Along with guards who intend to catch her.


A Question of Reality

Chapter One

Sahara laid the pieces of her cosplay outfit across her bed so she could check that everything was there. MCM was next weekend but she couldn't resist trying everything on to be sure it was how she wanted it.

She'd had to make the armour from scratch, with her father. They'd spent hours together studying the armour from drawings and screenshots of Thor and Avengers Assemble, to get the patterns and outlines as perfect as they could. That was a trait they shared, they were both perfectionists and Sahara was grateful for his help. They'd made the armour out of foam, cardboard and the strap across her body was an old belt that her father never used any more.

She took the long black skirt and pulled it up over her thighs. It was a little too big and she had to pull it up above her waist to where she would cover it with her top and the corset. She pulled on the adjusting strings to pull the front of the skirt right up. It was very revealing and ruffled up to hide her slightly plump stomach. She pulled on a green mini-skirt that came half-way down her thigh but gave her the coverage that the other skirt didn't. The back of the black skirt was left long.

She then put on her black top with lace sleeves that flared at the ends and had a criss-cross ribbon design down the front. Pulling that over the top of the skirt, it kept it in place. The only thing missing was the corset, armour and top hat.

She always knew the first cosplay she wanted to do would be a steampunk female Loki. It was her interpretation of the character and it was her choice of how she would look if she was that character. She'd been told to go with what felt right. Stood there in half the outfit already, she thought it felt right.

Picking up the corset, she loosened the strings at the back and wrapped it around herself. It was an emerald green silk corset with a strong black lining and steel bones. She fiddled with the hook and eye fastenings at the front. Eventually she managed to do it up and was ready to tighten the back. She pulled on the loops in the middle of her back and felt the material tighten around her waist, pulling everything together. Once she was happy with the tightness at the top and bottom, she tied the strings in a bow at the middle.

Finally it was time to put on her homemade armour. She slid one end of the belt into the back of her corset, making sure it was comfortable and wouldn't dig into her. She then slid the bottom of the front of her corset. It was a fiddly task but she managed to get the armour into place. She slipped the vambraces onto her arms and pulled the flared sleeves out of the wrists where they had ridden up.

She slipped on her Victorian high-heeled boots and zipped them up. The last piece of her outfit was the green top-hat covered in a black lace design. She had attached golden horns and a gold band around the base to give it more of a 'Loki' look. It was a heavy hat and she lifted it up onto her head.

The moment her outfit was complete, she looked in the full length mirror to check it over. As she stared at herself, the image began to wobble and she felt dizzy. She put her hands up to her temples as a high pitched sound started to give her a headache. Her body felt numb all over bar her painful head.

Within moments it was over. She wobbled on her heels from the withdrawal of the dizziness and pain. Her heels clacked on the stone surface. She stilled. Stone surface? Her bedroom was carpeted. She looked down to see a sand-coloured stone floor. A breeze blew her black hair about her head as she looked up.

Around her were women wearing flowing dresses and men wearing armour. The attire wasn't anything she had seen people wearing on Earth and that was when she realised where she was. Asgard. So many questions plagued her mind as she span, looking at everything around her.

A shout from the guards caught her attention and made her stop spinning. She watched as three men clad in gold armour and helmets ran towards her. There was something she should do. What was it? Oh yeah. Run.

She turned towards the huge golden building behind her and ran. She didn't know why the guards would be after her, she wasn't meant to be there. If she could get to Thor, maybe he would be able to help her get home.

Unfortunately it seemed she wouldn't get a chance to find out as she rounded a corner and ran headlong into a group of guards who grabbed her easily. She kicked and struggled but they marched her into the building she had been running towards. Feeling tired of fighting, she walked along obediently. Why did she need to be escorted by eight of them? She was just a girl. What harm could she possibly do?

They headed down into an area she recognised from the movies as being the dungeons. Wait. Loki was meant to be in the dungeons. What if he saw her? She was dressed up as him.

'I don't know how you managed it or why you've donned such a ridiculous illusion, but we've got you now, Loki. Odin will hear of this and you may have your sentence increased.' The leader of the guards told her as he walked beside her.

They thought she was Loki, trying to escape from his cell. She struggled again and tried to dig her heels in but they merely lifted her up.

'I'm not… I'm not Loki!' She shouted, catching the attention of the real Loki. He was reading in his cell.

He stood up and saw her from a distance. He was shocked at her attire. She looked as though she was masquerading as him, but from the Victorian Earth era. He was intrigued.

As Sahara reached Loki's cell, she turned to see if he was there. Her mouth fell open as she saw that it was vacant. His furniture was there but he was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't possible. She couldn't believe that he had escaped. Maybe they had switched places.

A jerk forward from the guards reminded her that either way, she was now going to have to serve his sentence for him. They dragged her into the cell and restored the magic walls keeping her inside. As she banged her fist on them, causing waves of golden magic, they marched away.

She sank to the floor and watched them disappear. She fiddled with the strings of her skirt as she contemplated her situation.

'I'm not meant to be here. I'm not Loki.'

At that moment, Loki removed the illusion he'd created to hide himself from the guards and her eyes. He approached her silently from behind and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

'No, you're not. So why are you here?'


End file.
